Storm Chasers finish series with victory at Nashville

Brian Bocock drove in the winning run with an eighth inning sacrifice fly as Omaha edged Nashville, 3-2, Thursday night in their last regular season game at Greer Stadium, which will be replaced by a new ballpark for the 2015 campaign. The Storm Chasers finished their nine-game trip to Tennessee with four wins and return home at 21-25 overall.

Melky Mesa started the decisive frame with a double, moved to third base on an errant pick-off attempt by Brent Leach and scored when Bocock came through with a fly ball deep enough to center field to chase him home ahead of Kevin Mattison’s throw to the plate. Francisley Bueno set down the Sounds in turn in the bottom of the inning and passed the baton to Spencer Patton, who tossed a scoreless ninth to sew up the win and register his eighth save.

The teams traded runs in the first, as Carlos Peguero grounded out to drive in Christian Colon to get the scoring started before Caleb Gindl belted a solo shot to even the count. Omaha reclaimed the lead in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Jesus Flores that knocked Johnnie Lowe, Nashville’s spot starter, out of the game after 3 1/3 innings during which he yielded six hits and walked two. Former Storm Chaser Jeremy Jeffress came on to fan Jason Donald and Brett Eibner to squash the rally and keep Bocock stranded at third. The hard-throwing right-hander finished off 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while punching out seven without walking a batter.

Omaha starter Brett Tomko limited the Sounds to that single run on five hits while striking out six over five frames and was replaced by Justin Marks, who gave up the tying home run in the sixth to Hunter Morris, just his second long ball in 58 at-bats against a left-hand pitcher. Marks then worked a scoreless seventh and was rewarded with his third win of the season. The visitors finished the 16-game season series against the Sounds with seven victories.

The Storm Chasers return to Werner Park Friday night and will send right-hander Aaron Brooks to the mound in the opener of a four-game set against Round Rock right-hander Justin Germano.